Nowhere in the United States are the four seasons more central to the regional culture than in New England; indeed, from the natural observations of Robert Frost and Henry Thoreau to the homey imagery of Currier & Ives and Norman Rockwell, the turning of the seasons are an essential part of our national tradition. But what will become of New England, asks Vermont-based environmental scholar Amy Seidl, now that spring flowers blossom before pollinators arrive, ponds no longer freeze, and animals can't follow their migration schedules?

"Early Spring contributes something of great value to the tradition founded by Rachel Carson. Amy Seidl brings her own professional training as a biologist, as well as her engaging lyrical voice, to bear on the blurring of seasons around her Vermont home. The result is a timely, important bookóboth troubling and lovely."óJohn Elder

"Ecologist Seidl blends a well-researched environmental study with observations of small-town Vermont life, even as she reaches beyond New England by keeping her discussion of global warming artfully broadminded. Thus Mexico can easily figure into a chapter on butterflies and Japan fits nicely into a discussion of her backyard garden. But mostly Seidl remains firmly settled in Vermont, and ... this title recounts the stories of sugar-makers, farmers, and neighbors whose stalwart dedication to maintaining daily weather journals, including significant records of climate data, is reminiscent of the Old Farmer's Almanac.... Seidl brings her children into the story because it is their world that is so drastically changing. At once deeply personal and solidly scientific, Seidl's chronicle manages to be concerned without being cloying."óBooklist